Paper Toys
by Air Condition
Summary: Konan told him she was leaving. He told her she wasn't. She disobeyed. He would go to great lengths to make her stay, even if it meant breaking her, in every sense of the word. Hints of NXK and YXK. M for blood/violence, sex.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I swear I'm not dead, guys! Anyway, I've had this idea for days; I need to get it out! I'll probably work on this for a little while, and then go back to Purgatory, and then switch off.

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><p>Breaking her spirit was harder than breaking her bones. Her bones made a lot more noise, though that was drowned out by the screaming. He had already asked her not to do this to herself but she kept disobeying him. He told her that this hurt him more than it hurt her, but knowing what would happen if he didn't break her made the pain bearable. He tried to quiet her while her body broke, but his words sounded like silence to her.<p>

She couldn't understand how he could do this. After spending so many years trying to avoid violence and pain, and now he was doing this. She thought things would be different. If things had gone like she expected, she'd be somewhere else. She'd be far away from the wars and pain and loneliness. She'd be far away from him.

As she lay perfectly still on the table, she realized that she should've expected this to happen. Nagato hadn't been the same since that day. That was the day his world flew out of control and he went with it. She should've known this would happen after the agony and despair he'd caused recently. Why would she be special enough to receive his mercy? Why would he let her leave?

She had asked to leave earlier that day. Wait, she didn't ask. She just _told_ him she was leaving, and didn't ask for his input. He wasn't sane enough to give her a good opinion. However, he did so anyway.

"No," was all he said. His voice was weak, but something about his tone turned the word into a threat. She heard the malice, but chose to ignore it. She didn't want to think that he'd hurt her. Even as Deva broke her, she didn't want to think he'd ever bring pain upon her.

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><p>She should've expected that he'd try to stop her, but his frail state made her feel safe. She hadn't thought about his other bodies. It wasn't until she found Deva standing between her and the outside world that she had remembered them.<p>

"You won't be leaving, Konan." Deva told her. His voice was much stronger than Nagato's, but his stance made the threat less effective. Deva stood perfectly straight but relaxed. It wasn't a fighting pose. She didn't think he'd be attacking her. She stepped close to the door and Deva shifted to block her. She tried to push her way around him, but he grabbed her arm.

"Don't make this difficult, Konan," Deva said, holding her in place. "It's easier for both of us if you stay. Go back now, and it'll all be okay. I'll forgive you."

She began to turn to paper to free her arm, but she was too slow. Deva pulled her to her knees in front of him, and sunk one of his many chakra rods into her stomach with a sickening wet sound. Her paper hand fell to the floor, and she stared down at the pool of blood forming at her knees. It was her blood, yet she felt disconnected from it. She felt Deva kneel behind her, and then his breath on her neck. She tried to turn to paper, but her chakra was being disrupted by the rod.

"I gave you a fair chance, Konan. I told you it'd be easier, but you didn't listen to me. Stand up, now. I'm going to help you."

He picked up her paper hand and grabbed her other hand, pulling her up to her feet. She couldn't breathe. He tried to help her walk, but realized she couldn't. He knelt down and picked her up. A hideous noise escaped her as the rod shifted.

"I'll take it out soon, it'll be alright." Deva told her, though the words were too empty to hold any comfort. She wondered where he was taking her, and then looked to see the room where Nagato stored his many bodies. He put her on Deva's empty table, and examined her for a bit. She stared back at him, unable to function or even think properly with her chakra being scrambled. She tried to speak when Deva began to walk away. Her words were turned into another gruesome sound by the pain.

"I'll be back." Deva told her. She watched him walk out of sight, and put her hand on the rod sticking out from her stomach. As she tried to pull it out, a wave of pain flooded her body. She dropped her hand to her side and heard another noise she couldn't believe any human being could make. She thought about how she could possibly escape from this place. Even if she could get the rod out, she didn't know how to get out of the room. Only Nagato could open the door.

Deva came back after what felt like hours. He put his hands over the table, and chakra rods of all sorts dropped from his sleeves.

"You tried to take the rod out," he said knowingly. "Don't struggle right now, Konan. Don't make this harder than it already is."

Deva opened her cloak, having only snagged the left side with the rod. She tried to push his hands away, but he easily fought through her attempts. He pushed the cloak off of her as much as he could until he was stopped by where the rod held it to her wound. He bundled up the slack and dropped it in her lap. He was pleasantly surprised to remember the rather large hole near the stomach of Konan's shirt, making it possible to remove the small garment without getting it caught on the chakra rod. He sat behind her as he did, telling her he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. She probably would've laughed at that if she wasn't in so much pain. She turned her head to see Deva pick up a very short but sharp rod. In an instant, she knew what he was doing. She shook her head slowly, but found that she couldn't speak.

"This is going to hurt." Deva told her bluntly, ignoring her pathetic plea. "The pain will be gone soon. I don't want to hurt you more than necessary. It hurts me, too. More than you know."

She didn't believe him. She wanted to. But Deva's voice was too flat to hold any emotion. His eyes were the only thing that ever held any sort of feeling, but she couldn't see them right now so his apologies rang hollow with her. It bothered her that he would say that. She wondered if he knew that, and was using it to his advantage.

She felt Deva's fingers slide down her spine, and then back up to the top. Just between her shoulders, he felt the softer flesh on either side of her spine, and then pulled his hand away. She felt the cold metal rod being pushed against her skin just where Deva's finger had been just moments ago. She shook her head again, and tried to reach back and grab the rod from his hand. She couldn't reach it. She felt the rod break her skin, and then quickly dive in further until only a stub of the rod stuck out of her skin. She shook her head harder now, slamming her hand down on the concrete and gripped the side of the table until her knuckles were white. She heard Deva swear, and then felt something warm dripping down her back. It took her a second to realize it was more of her blood.

"I've never done this on a living body." Deva muttered to himself, not intending for her to hear. He looked over her shoulder to see that the rod in her stomach wasn't bleeding as profusely as he thought it was. That was good. She wouldn't die from blood loss.

He picked up another rod, identical to the one he had just forced into her back. She felt that one sink into her body on the other side of her spine, just opposite the first one. More of her blood dripped down her back. She saw Deva pick up two more of the rods, but tried to ignore it. She had to think right now. She had to find a way out of this.

One by one, the rods were forced into her body, and her blood forced out. It felt like hours until Deva finished, leaving a line of rods like faithful soldiers down either side of her spine that stopped just before her pelvis.

"We're done for today," he said casually, resting his bloody hand on the table. "I won't make you endure this any longer. You'll rest, now."

Deva helped her onto her back, metal rods clinking against the table, and then disappeared again. She wondered how he expected her to rest, lying in a pool of her own blood on a concrete table. Perhaps he didn't.

Yet, just as she had started to accept the situation, Deva came back in with gauze. He stood over her, looking at the large rod still lodged in her stomach.

"I'll take this out, now," he told her flatly.

He did it so quickly that it took her a moment to feel anything. She heard a sucking sound that made her want to vomit, but the pain of retching with the wound would have been unbearable. Her jaw dropped and another impossible noise escaped from her. Warm tears fell down her face, but she hardly noticed them. Deva pulled a ripped piece of the cloak out from the wound, and then began to bandage the gaping hole. She doubted it would do much good when she saw the bandages stain red on contact. He sat her up and wrapped the gauze around her back, covering the rods he had put in a few minutes ago. Even after her stomach was covered, he continued wrapping the gauze around her ribs, and then her chest. He covered her all the way up to her neck, and then stopped.

"I'll change these tomorrow, Konan," he told her. Deva turned her toward him, and then knelt down. He put his arm under her legs, and then pulled her head onto his shoulder. He lifted her like this, making sure not to touch her back. He brought her to her bed, and rested her on her side.

"I'll stay here tonight." He said, sitting down on the windowsill. Her thoughts still weren't clear to her, but she knew she wanted to speak. She wanted so badly to hurt Nagato with her words. Before she could try to tell him what she felt, she had passed out.

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><p><em>Don't tread the water, just stay still<em>

-Believe

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><p>AN: Oh, god I feel like a sadist.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Lol, anonymous reviewer. You amuse me with your review.

Anyway, here's the next chapter! If there's any mistakes you see, or if you want to see a specific situation in here, tell me!

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><p>Today was not the first day that she awoke unsure if the sun was coming up, going down, or if the clouds were more just numerous than usual. Deva did not tell her, though she knew it was only because she'd never asked. She was sure he'd tell her if she did, but asking him questions would only make him speak more she didn't even want to hear his voice. His voice disgusted her.<p>

Yet, as much as she hated him, she was grudgingly counting on him to keep her alive. He had to bring her food, water, and everything else she needed. Her entire torso was still bandaged and it hurt to move her left arm. He had just put the rods into that arm the previous day. She was still missing her hand on that arm.

Nagato knew she was awake. She knew he could sense it somehow. Deva would always come in just minutes after she awoke ever day. Today was no different; he came to her with breakfast just moments after she woke. It consisted of a bowl of steamed rice, and a cup of water. He brought it on a tall tray so that he could place it over her stomach. She could feel that the rice was still extremely hot but the bowl was cool enough to touch. She grasped the bowl with her still attached hand and flung it at Deva's face. But Nagato felt it coming, felt the way her muscles moved, and reacted before Deva was injured. The bowl stopped in front of his face, and then flew in the opposite direction, smashing against the wall.

"You're not hungry today, Konan?" He asked calmly. She didn't say anything; she wouldn't play his game. After he realized she wasn't going to answer, he removed the tray from the bed and picked up the water. "I'm sure you're thirsty, at least."

He was right. She was thirsty. She was also hungry, but she knew she wouldn't be eating until lunch after her outburst. She somehow suppressed her anger and tried to take the water from him. Her arm froze in place before she could grab it. It wouldn't move.

"I don't want you wasting this, too," he told her. She felt the rods lined up in her back begin to vibrate, and suddenly she was pulled up by some unseen power. She knew he was controlling her. She glared at Deva hatefully, but accepted the water from him nonetheless. After the drink was gone, she found that she was still unable to lie down. Her back remained rigid no matter how hard she tried to push herself down.

"I'm taking these bandages off," Deva told her. She wondered which ones he was talking about, since her entire torso, both legs and one arm were covered. The ones on her legs came off first, and appeared to be completely healed. You couldn't tell by the sight of them, as the blood had dried and was never washed off.

"Does this hurt?" He asked, pushing lightly on one of the studs. It did hurt, but not enough to make her cringe, so she lied and told him it didn't. Lies were one of the little victories she could still have; the one thing he couldn't control.

Then, he slowly began to pull the bandages off her torso. They came off easily until he got down to the last layer, which came off with crackling and noises as it detached from the blood that had caked onto her skin. However, Deva had put a separate wrapping around her chest so that she could remain decent as he changed the rest of her bandages. Whenever he had to change those, too, he would sit behind her and yet again tell her that she shouldn't feel uncomfortable. Luckily, he hadn't done anything to the bottom half of her torso, and she was allowed to keep her undergarment on.

"I think your stomach has healed enough to keep the bandages off. Does this hurt?" He asked, pushing down on the large scar. She wanted to lie and say no, but she involuntarily doubled over and rested her head on his shoulder, because it _did_ hurt. She tried to look down at the scar, but found that she couldn't. He wouldn't let her.

"It does hurt," he confirmed, "Hold on a minute."

Deva's body froze in place, and she once again felt the rods in her body vibrate more than usual. She felt uncomfortable, sensing her chakra being forced in unnatural directions. Suddenly she felt ill, and she turned her head to the side, thinking she'd be sick. She heaved, but had nothing in her stomach to lose. The wave of nausea subsided a moment later and Deva once again pushed on her stomach. She didn't feel any pain. She wondered how Nagato had done that and he must have read the curiosity on her face as he answered:

"I am in control of every aspect of your body. I decide whether or not you feel pain." He told her. She refused to look amazed, and instead tried to look disappointed. Nagato didn't seem to care what she thought of it, and moved Deva off the bed.

"You're bloody, aren't you? Perhaps you should take a bath?" Deva asked. As much as she wanted to defy him, she really wanted a bath. She wanted to wash the blood away, along with every other disgusting fluid that seemed to be rotting her skin. Deva held his hand out to help her, but she refused to take it. She stood up by herself, ignoring the pain in her legs. She took a few steps toward the bathroom. She didn't get far when she felt the rods in her right leg shake, and the leg was forced to relax under her. She crashed to the floor. She clenched her jaw, refusing to cry out as her knee hit the solid concrete.

"I think you're going to need my help, Konan. You can't do this on your own in your current state."

She barely heard him, as she was too busy fighting with herself to avoid showing that she was hurt. It wasn't until he picked her up bridal style that she noticed him again. He carried her to the bathroom, and set her down on the floor. She had begun to regain control of her pain, and thus her thoughts. It took a few minutes for Deva to fill the tub, and he motioned her over when he was done.

"Is the water alright?" He asked her. She dipped her hand in, but pulled it back a second later, shaking her head.

"Is it too cold?"

She shook her head.

"Hot. Okay," he muttered, turning the cold water back on. "I can't feel it, so I don't know."

She was aware of that and didn't think he needed to tell her. She wondered if he was mocking her by saying that. Whatever the case, she stopped thinking about it as soon as Deva turned off the water for the second time.

"How about now?" He asked. She put her hand in and found that the water was perfect. Hot, but not enough to burn. Excited, she pulled her hair out of her usual bun, and took out the origami flower. She saw that it was bent and crumpled, barely recognizable. She mindlessly decided that she'd make another one later. Then, she realized that Deva was still in the room with her, and so she kept what little clothes she had on. She waited for him to leave, but he didn't.

"Did you want me to go?" He asked. She swore she heard laughter in his voice. "I can't leave you alone in here, Konan. You might drown."

Her facial expression must've been strange, because he looked amused.

"Are you uncomfortable being naked in front of me?" He asked, leaning closer to her.

She knew she wouldn't have cared a few years ago. She would've laughed and said no if he asked her, but not anymore. It wouldn't be Yahiko looking at her. It would be Nagato, and she knew the look in his eyes would make her sick. But, she stayed silent. She didn't want to tell him about her discomfort of the situation. She knew it would just give him yet another way to upset her.

However, she knew she didn't actually have to answer his question, because he already knew the answer. He was simply enjoying his game, and dragging it out as long as he could. Unfortunately, she could see that he was beginning to grow bored.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Konan," Deva told her, putting his hand under her chin. "I've already seen everything."

She sat there for a moment, wondering when _that_ had happened. She didn't recall ever being indecent in front of Nagato. She knew he had seen her chest rather recently, but not the rest of her. Deva didn't explain himself.

She flinched when she felt his hand rip the back of the bandages on her chest. She tried to move away, but Nagato froze her. She could do nothing but watch as the bandages came off, layer by layer. She looked to the side when he was finished, not wanting to see his reaction.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," He told her yet again. She was beginning to hate that sentence.

For a blissful moment, she had forgotten that bathing would require removing the bottom half of her undergarments. Deva reminded her as soon as he was done throwing the bandages away.

"Can you take those off, or do you need me to help you?" He asked. Her face was blank for a second as she tried to comprehend his ridiculous question. Deva took her silence as helplessness, and decided that he would assist her. Still frozen in place by Nagato's chakra, she could not stop him as he pulled her to her feet. Struggling against his influence was physically painful, but she continued to try anyway. She'd be damned if she was going to willingly let him to do this to her.

Deva didn't find it difficult to remove the last of her garments, even as she struggled. After it was on the floor, he reached his hand out to help her into the bath. She took it, knowing that he would trip her if she didn't. She stepped in, using his hand as little as possible as she sat down in the water. It was dyed red before Deva even had time to rest her handless arm on the side of the tub. He obviously didn't think it was important, as he didn't mention it at all.

Deva stood back up, and she naively thought for a moment that he was going to leave her alone to clean herself. She began to scrub some of the dry blood off of her stomach, and soon after found another hand helping her. She looked over to see that Deva had removed his cloak, and was now kneeling topless beside the tub. His hand overpowered hers, chipping the blood away faster than she could. She stopped trying, and sat perfectly still to let Deva do his work. She knew she couldn't remove the filth from her back, and she decided it would be faster to simply let him do it.

As her skin shed the crimson shell and returned to its natural pale color, she began to feel something that she didn't think she'd ever feel again after recent events. Perhaps it was just her lack of rest lately, but she wasn't sure. As Deva's hands moved across her stomach, her back, her arms, and her legs, the chakra rods stopped imposing their will upon her. They no longer needed to, as she was slouched over, relaxed and not intending to escape or attack. She wasn't being hurt. She wasn't being verbally assaulted. Now, something mutually beneficial was happening, and she wasn't in the mood to interrupt it.

"Do you feel better?" Deva asked.

"Mm."

It was hardly a reply, but she didn't have a proper answer. Deva wasn't finished, and there were still parts of her that felt disgusting. She would give him a real answer later, though she intended to lie yet again.

"Your hair is filthy, too," Deva said, though that was rather unnecessary. She already knew that.

"I'll wash it," she said, almost whispering.

"No, I'll do it. It's not any trouble."

She watched Deva fill a large, shallow bowl with water. He saw her staring at it curiously, and told her:

"Washing it in a pool of blood and dirt won't do anything."

She nodded, understanding his point. Deva poured the bowl over her head, and began to fill it again for a rinse.

Her trance just seemed to deepen as he scrubbed the blood, sweat, and tears off of her scalp. It took a few rinses to remove everything, but her hair felt much lighter when it was finished.

As she thought about the lie she was intending to tell when her bath was finished, Deva broke her trance. His hands were on her chest, where they were not welcome.

"I can do this," she told him, reaching up to grab his wrist.

"I told you, I can't leave you alone in here," Deva said again.

"Then don't," she muttered, though she would prefer that. "Just let me do this."

"I'm sorry, Konan. I can't."

Nagato's chakra invaded her body once again, and forced her hand away. She sat with a clenched jaw as Deva washed her breasts. He spent too long on them, and continued long after they were clean. She refused to speak, knowing that he wanted her to react. The look on her face was reward enough for him, and he stopped.

"You're almost done," he told her.

Her legs moved against her will, forcing her up onto her knees.

"Just one more thing, and then you're done."

She felt his hand slip between her legs. The bath had been pleasant, but now she could only wonder if he was using this as an excuse for his own pleasure.

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><p><em>I'm living lies, and shedding the skin. <em>

_-Beleive_

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><p>AN: I was actually going to go into more detail at the end there, but… No. Just… No.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I actually think this story will turn out to be rather short, in case you are wondering. Not too many more chapters, unless you guys think of something you want to see.

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><p>"This is the last one," Deva told her; it was the first time she actually believed something he said. She couldn't think of anywhere else Deva could possibly put more of those chakra rods. She parted her lips for him, and he seemed surprised that she was cooperating. He tugged her lower lip toward him. She winced when the stud broke her skin. He let go, and she tasted blood.<p>

"Does it hurt?" He asked.

"A bit." She said. It was true. She knew exactly what she was going to get when this was finished, and she didn't want to wait any longer than she had to. Plus, it would be hard enjoy if her mouth tasted of blood. She felt Nagato's chakra force its way into her body and weave into her own. The pain was gone a few seconds later.

"It doesn't make you feel sick anymore, right? My chakra should flow as easily as your own."

"It doesn't make me sick," she confirmed.

Deva watched a drop of blood fall from her chin, and into her lap.

"It'll stop bleeding soon," he told her. And it did.

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><p>They both knew that she had lost too much weight. She cared because it was painful; he cared because he wanted her alive. He tried to force her to eat, but her struggle against his chakra either caused her to choke, vomit, or both. She rarely kept any food down.<p>

He was the first to give in. It was the first time she had been able to outlast him on anything. He told her that he would let her feed herself as soon as he finished putting in her last chakra rod. They went downstairs, and she walked slowly in order to appear weak so that he wouldn't knock her down. Nagato might've been able to tell where she was and what she was doing, but he couldn't read her mind. He could tell that she was exaggerating her weakness, and couldn't be sure of how strong she really was. He could tell that she was in pain by looking at her face, but didn't know where the pain was coming from, or how extreme it was. He could tell that she feared him by her body language, but not which of his actions had caused it, though he was pretty sure he knew. He let her have her way as they walked slowly down the stairs to avoid any injuries.

"You can sit down," he told her when they reached the bottom. She didn't need his permission; she was planning to sit anyway. It only took a few minutes for him to bring the food. The meal was the same as the one she had tried to throw in his face earlier. He placed it in front of her, and sat across the table. She didn't move at first. She waited for him to try and control her, but he didn't.

"I thought you said you were hungry," He said. "Eat."

She tried to, but her hand suddenly shook so violently that her first potential bite fell to the floor. She leaned back in her chair and stared at Deva.

"I didn't do anything," He said. "That was your own fault."

She didn't believe him. Her hand wouldn't shake like that unless he had caused it. Deva rested his elbow on the table and looked at her as if she were a child refusing to finish her vegetables. She tried to begin eating again, and this time succeeded. Thought she could feel Nagato's chakra inside of her, she was still in control of her movements. That was enough for her.

She finished quickly and Deva took the plate away. Strangely, she found was still hungry after finishing the meal.

"Do you want more?" He asked her.

"No," She lied.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked again, in a harsher tone.

"Yes."

He looked puzzled. She wasn't sure what reason he would have to think she was lying. Perhaps he knew that she now enjoyed lying to him. Maybe he was just hoping she'd eat more.

"Go back upstairs, then," He said curtly. She did. For a moment, she was hopeful Deva was going to leave her alone in her room, as he had done that more often lately. But he didn't. He came up a few minutes after she did and stood in the doorway.

"You're _not_ hungry?" He asked yet again.

"_No." _She told him, annoyed with the question.

Deva didn't move. She stared at him, wondering what he was doing. She felt it a moment later. Her chest was getting tighter. She became tense, and suddenly felt as if her senses were heightened. Her face flushed. Her breath became quick, and a sense of panic seized her.

"I knew you were lying," Deva said. She felt herself calm down.

"I wasn't lying," She said.

Deva took a few brisk steps toward her, and grabbed her chin. She tried to back away, but Nagato's chakra kept her still.

"I don't think you understand, Konan. You've been struggling this whole time. I can't stop you from struggling. However, I have found something that I _can_ control."

She didn't ask what that was. She didn't want to know.

"I could stop your heart if I wanted to, Konan." He hissed. She managed to pull her head away from him, but he grabbed her cloak and pulled her back.

"If you can't willingly control it, I can. You might consciously control your movements, but you _don't_ control your heart, hormones, or many other aspects of your own body. You can't control everything. Do you want to know why you felt so alert a few moments ago? Adrenaline."

She pushed him away and glared at him. She didn't believe any of that. It was all bullshit, just like every other word he spewed from his mouth.

"Do you want more proof?" He asked.

She didn't, actually. However, she couldn't do anything about it when she felt Nagato's chakra begin to flow up into her chest. It grew tight again. She felt her heart begin to slow, the beats becoming weaker. Her neck started to hurt. She grabbed her chest and stood, trying to move toward him. She meant to grab his cloak, but her missing hand prevented her from gripping the fabric. She fell to her knees, gasping for air.

Deva was right. She couldn't control everything, even in her own body. Before she could beg him to stop, the world went dark.

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><p><em>"I'm open wide, and letting you in." <em>- Believe

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><p>AN: Off on a 2 week vacation, thought I'd post this before I go! Sorry it's rather short.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry, writers block lately. Anyway, new laptop! Yaaaay! Also, college! Yaaaay!

I made some edits to the last chapter. Nothing much, just the ending. I had forgotten that Konan was still missing her hand... Fixed that.

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><p>She didn't move. She didn't <em>dare <em>to move. She had been frozen in place by her own choice for what felt like hours. She knew it actually hadn't been that long. It couldn't have been.

Pain knew that she was awake. He must've. When she first woke up, she had stirred a bit. Upon feeling the pain in her chest, she stopped immediately. She remembered what had just happened. She must have been out for only a few minutes if her chest still felt so tight. She listened for any sign of Pain's presence, but heard nothing. Not that it mattered. Pain could remain still for eternity if Nagato willed it.

The tightness in her chest faded soon after. Once that feeling had left her, she began to notice other things. She was hungry. She was thirsty. She desperately had to use the bathroom. Perhaps Pain had scared her, but she would not piss herself just on the off chance that Pain was not aware of her consciousness. She decided she'd get up. She'd be good for a little while if it meant getting her basic needs met without being tortured through her own body.

She finally opened her eyes and pushed herself up. She heard movement behind her seconds later.

"You've been awake for a while," said Pain. She wondered if that was supposed to surprise her. "Does your chest feel any better?"

"Yes," she told him.

"Can you control your chakra?"

"For what?" She asked. She could only answer the question if she knew what it was she had to do.

"To put your hand back on," Deva told her, holding up her paper hand.

She nodded, though she wasn't actually sure. Deva came and sat beside her, holding the paper in an open palm.

"Teach me," He said. "Control the paper."

She didn't want to teach him. She didn't want him to know how to control her even more. She knew he'd attack her if she didn't. Then, she thought about how long it had taken her to master this jutsu. Nagato wouldn't figure it out it only a day.

It took her a few seconds, but the paper began to rise into the air. It swirled around her arm as she prepared to reconstruct her hand.

"Don't do it, yet."

She stopped, and let the paper drift around her arm. Deva froze, and Nagato's chakra once again weaved into her own. She felt it try to join her in holding the paper in the air, but it just caused pieces to flutter erratically. She kept them in the air, waiting for Nagato to give up. After a few minutes, he seemed to be perfectly in tune, to her dismay.

"Let it go," Deva said.

She did, and the paper continued hovering around her arm, though they were much slower now. One of the pieces drifted toward her wrist, and fused with her skin, matching the color and texture perfectly. Piece by piece, her hand began to take shape.

Nagato had caught on in only a few minutes. It had taken her most of her life to figure out how to do this. She hated him for it. He finished minutes later, and Deva began to stir again.

"You weren't out for long, Konan. Are you okay to stand?"

She didn't know if she was. She hoped she was. She pushed herself out of bed, and stumbled a bit. She was able to stay upright a moment later, and she looked at her hand to avoid his gaze

"Do you need anything?" He asked. It seemed to her that he was genuinely curious.

"Yes," She told him, flexing her re-attached hand.

"What is it?"

She told him that she needed a lot of things. She needed food, she needed water, and she needed to use the bathroom. Perhaps some rest would be nice, too.

He told her to go relieve herself, and that he'd get her something to eat and drink. She did. She stayed in the bathroom longer than she needed to. She stared into the mirror at her thin face with bags under her eyes. She wondered if Nagato cared that she looked so sickly now. She knew that he cared about her health, at least to the point of survival. But, did he care enough to try and keep her as healthy as she used to be? She worried that she'd waste away until she was just barely alive, and just there by Nagato's desire.

She walked outside to see if he had gotten her anything to eat or drink. She guessed she'd find out the answers to her questions in time. Not that it mattered. What could she do about it? If it was Nagato's plan to turn her into nothing more than his pet, then that would be her fate. She knew she'd fight it out of instinct, but wouldn't succeed.

She sat down at the table just moments before he gave put her food in front of her. He sat across from her. She began to eat, but grew uncomfortable with each passing moment. Deva wouldn't take his eyes off of her. He stared at her with a blank look on his face. She glanced up at him after every few bites, trying to read his thoughts. She couldn't. Fear started to seize her, ever so slowly. She began to eat faster, desperate to finish her meal and get away from the spiral eyes that seemed to suck her in.

It started getting harder to eat. Her hands shook, and it was hard to focus enough to even get food out of the bowl. Her vision became blurry as her eyes began to fill with tears. She didn't know why she was so afraid, and that scared her even more. After a fruitless attempt to pull more food up to her mouth, she jerked up out of her chair and stepped back.

"What is it?" She demanded..

"I'm not doing anything," Deva said, sounding slightly offended.

"Why are you looking at me like that, then?" She asked, taking a few more steps back.

"Like what?" Deva asked, rising from his chair. "Does my gaze offend you? You never mentioned it before."

It was true, she realized. It wasn't unusual for him to look at her that way. Deva's face never changed. His eyes almost always looked like that, unless Nagato was experiencing some intense emotion. She still felt threatened.

Deva began to step toward her, and she stepped back. He stopped, and they locked eyes. He wouldn't step forward, knowing she'd step back.

"What are you afraid of?"

She didn't answer. She was afraid of _him_, but it was something more than that right now. Deva reached his hand out to her, but she backed away even more. He sighed, and faced his palm at her. She knew what he was doing, but didn't have time to react. She felt as if gravity had changed, and she suddenly flew toward Deva. He wrapped his arms around her, keeping her forced against his chest. She tried to turn to paper, but Nagato's chakra disrupted hers just enough to prevent that. It didn't hold her still, but Deva did.

"What's wrong?' He asked calmly.

"Let go!" She shrieked, trying to push herself away. Deva's grip was firm; he barely budged as she struggled.

"Calm down. You're alright."

She screamed and told him that was bullshit, but he was unaffected by her panic. He moved one of his arms under her backside, and lifted her up. She kicked a few times, but Deva's inability to feel anything saved him from being incapacitated. He carried her up the stairs, and put her down on the bed. She scrambled back to the floor, and backed up against the wall. She would've run for the door, but she knew she wouldn't make it. Deva sat down on the bed, and removed his cloak. He beckoned her closer with his finger, but she shook her head and stayed plastered to the wall.

"Tell me what you're afraid of, Konan."

She opened her mouth, but couldn't find anything to say. She shook her head, and sank to the floor.

"Come here," He told her.

"No," She whispered.

Deva stood back up, taking his cloak with him. He knelt down in front of her. She tried to push herself further back into the wall, but only succeeded in pulling her legs up against her chest.

"I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."

She wanted to tell them that he was the problem, but couldn't. He was part of it, but something else was scaring her, and she didn't know what. Even if Deva left, she would still feel like this. Perhaps being alone might even make it worse. She flinched as Deva draped his cloak over her shoulders. She hadn't worn the Akatsuki cloak in a long time. It was weird to feel it on her skin again.

"You'll feel better if you lie down," he said. She ignored him completely. He grabbed the two sides of the cloak ever so gently. It wasn't until he forced the cloak closed that she noticed. Suddenly, she found herself stuck in a cocoon in Deva's cloak, unable to move. She started to panic even more, beginning to whine with each breath she took. Deva grabbed her yet again, and brought her back to the bed. He settled on his back, and pinned her against his chest yet again. He successfully pinned her arms, turning the cloak into a straightjacket, but he soon had to entangle his legs with hers to restrain her.

Nagato's chakra didn't enter her body. She didn't understand why. Being pinned by Deva like this actually seemed more stressful than his chakra right now.

"You need to calm down," Deva said, his voice completely flat despite the struggle. "Nothing is going to hurt you. You haven't done anything wrong; you don't deserve any punishment. You're safe."

She didn't feel very safe being restrained like this, and Deva mentioning punishment made her feel even worse, though he had told her there was nothing to be punished for. It certainly felt like punishment. He said nothing was going to hurt her, but as she struggled his grip got tighter until he was.

"Calm down and I'll let go," he said. "If you're this afraid of something you can't explain, you might do something rash and injure yourself."

She wanted him to let go. She stopped struggling, forcing herself to stay still. His grip loosened, but he still kept his arms draped over her. She tried to sit up, but he pulled her down again.

"You're forcing yourself to stay so still. You haven't calmed down. I'm not letting you leave until you do."

She _tried_ to relax. She thought that she might be able to if she knew what was wrong. She resisted the urge to struggle, but she couldn't stop herself from shaking. It seemed that it was involuntary, but she wished it would stop. Shaking so hard, especially with Deva restraining her, was making her sore.

She pulled her legs up to her chest, trying to get slightly more comfortable. It didn't help. Nothing helped. She tried to push herself up again to lay on her other side, but Deva pulled her down again the instant she tried. As her head hit his chest, she wailed as if she had been struck. She pushed against him, but he had her pinned yet again, though he now tried to keep her head still, too. She begged him to let go, over and over, each time getting louder. Her vision became distorted again, and tears began to fall as she began to realize that Deva wasn't even listening. Her chest started to hurt again, but this time it wasn't Deva's fault. She knew it was because of how erratic her breathing had been for the last hour or so. Everything hurt, now. She wanted it to stop. Her begging turned into incoherent sobs, and Deva was as still as a statue.

She slowly began to weaken. Her struggles became weaker, as did her voice. She was too tired. Her body relaxed out of pure exhaustion. She kept begging Deva to release her, but she sounded like a broken record at this point. She asked at every exhale, but it wasn't a question as much as an impulse. It became quieter, until it was a whisper. Until it stopped.

The world felt unreal, now. Still fearing some unseen force, she could do nothing. Deva's grip weakened again. He knew she wouldn't run, now. She couldn't.

"Do you feel better?" He asked. She shook her head to the best of her ability. Deva let go of her completely.

"You're still afraid, but I can see you're unable to do anything to yourself right now. I'll leave."

With that, Deva slipped out from under her, and began to stand. She reached out to grab him; to stop him. He looked back at her.

"What?" He asked coldly.

He wasn't a threat to her right now. Something else was. She didn't know what it was, and knew that she wouldn't be able to defend herself if it was something real. She didn't say anything to Deva.

"You want me to stay, then?" He asked.

She didn't know if she wanted him to leave, or stay to protect her from whatever 'it' was. She waited, and hoped he'd know which option was best.

"I'll be back," He told her. She didn't know where he was going, but she hoped it wouldn't be long. She watched him disappear out the door, and then looked back at the wall.

She heard something. It was quiet. Maybe the wind.

And then, there it was again. She pulled Deva's cloak up further up, ducking her head down into it. Another noise. She told herself it was nothing, but the fear told her otherwise. She felt as if there was something in the room with her. She didn't dare to look. There couldn't be anything there.

She listened for more noises, but all she could hear now was her heart pounding in her ears. She prayed that wouldn't drown out anything she needed to listen for. The harder she tried to listen, the louder the pounding got.

Where was Deva?

It felt like hours. It was less than a minute, but it felt so long. Every second made her feel less secure. Something was there, and it was going to hurt her.

She heard footsteps. It was coming from the hallway. She knew it had to be Deva, but secretly feared that it was something else. She got tenser with every sound as it came closer. She buried herself in the cloak when it finally reached the room.

"Try to sleep, Konan."

Deva.

She sighed with unwarranted relief, and her head out of the cloak. She saw one of Deva's chakra spears in his hand, and her eyes got wider. Perhaps he _was_ a threat to her.

"Calm down; it's not for you," He said, sitting beside her. He drove tip of the spear into the ground with a _crack_. He sat and leaned against the headboard. She didn't move.

"What's it for?" She whispered.

"Whatever it is you're so afraid of."

Deva's mention of it made it seem all the more real. He reached out to touch her face, and she flinched. His fingers just barely grazed her skin, but pushed the hair out of her face. She rolled over, wanting to avoid contact. It didn't stop Deva. He pulled the flower out of her hair, and undid her bun. She didn't want him to, but didn't bother to say anything.

"Go to sleep," He told her again.

She did, for a few minutes. She woke up, and had rested just enough to have panic overtake her once again. She shook and whimpered, and then exhausted herself again just to repeat the cycle. It went on for almost an hour before Deva reached out to her once again, and began to run his hand through her hair. She liked contact, but hated that it was him. She couldn't tell if she wanted him to stop or not. It wouldn't have mattered if she did. She was on the verge of sleep, and didn't want to fight it. She was so tired. As she drifted further away from consciousness, her awareness of Deva faltered. She felt contact, but couldn't comprehend that it was him. It was human contact, and it made her feel safe.

Safe enough to sleep.

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><p><em>"I'm picking sides, and pulling the strings." - Believe<em>

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><p>AN: Erm… Possibly maybe a rape scene next chapter… maybe not. Dunno if I actually want to do that or not… This story's kinda messed up enough as is. Thoughts?


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